After many tortured years, Alex Smith leaves San Francisco in high regard

Alex Smith will exit the Bay Area in a way few could have expected two years ago.

Appreciated. Honored. Perhaps even beloved.

Two years ago, that wouldn’t have been the case. Back then, as 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was beginning his reign, Smith was an unwelcome necessity. The starting quarterback because there were no other options. A hold-your-nose-and-deal-with-it choice.

Now Smith will leave – in a trade being reported as a done deal with the Kansas City Chiefs that under league rules can be consummated on March 12 – as a quarterback who has proved that he can not only win games, but also win over the fans. And change his reputation in the process.

His 19-31 record as a starting quarterback in the first five years of his career has become an asterisk. His past two seasons, both on and off the field, are what will be remembered. Not just his 20-6-1 record as a starter (particularly the “and -1,” the Week 9 tie with St. Louis where he suffered a concussion that led to the end of his playing career as a 49er), but the bar he set for professional behavior. Not just for the 49ers organization or for Bay Area sports, but for professional athletes in general.

The evidence was there before the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Wave after wave of reporters surged around Smith, waiting for a glimpse of bitterness or self-absorption. They came away empty, wondering if Smith was for real. He was. While some of the 49ers embarrassed themselves on the big stage, Smith showed what it means to be a loyal teammate and a professional.

A win-win trade

So it’s fitting that the 49ers have cut a deal that works for both parties. Smith will head to the Chiefs, a team with the potential to rebound and one with a long tradition and hungry and devoted fans. He joins former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who knows offense and quarterbacking and who has skin as thick as Smith’s. They both earned (to borrow a Harbaugh phrase) their armadillo skins the hard way. They will likely forge a practical and honest relationship: Smith will know better than to believe effusive praise; Reid will know better than to hand it out.

Kansas City is a vastly preferable landing spot to Jacksonville or Cleveland, or even Arizona, where there’s more offensive talent but where new head coach Bruce Arians will be learning on the job.

Something in return

In turn, the 49ers will receive a high draft pick – they will now have the 31st and 34th pick in the draft, essentially two low first-round picks. The team’s decision-makers now have a cornucopia of draft picks and precious few roster spots to fill, allowing them to maneuver to their hearts’ delight on draft weekend. And they will have cap room to re-sign safety Dashon Goldson, one of the team’s best players.

What the 49ers won’t have is experienced protection at quarterback. They are left potentially exposed with Colin Kaepernick and his 10 career starts, backed up by Scott Tolzien, who’s never taken an NFL snap. Kaepernick should only get better, but if he struggles or gets hurt, fans will pine for Smith. The 49ers will likely add a veteran backup, but probably not the kind of insurance that the proven Smith would have offered.

Over the past eight years, we watched Smith grow up. When he was drafted in 2005, he was the youngest quarterback in the league and held on to that distinction for two seasons. He immediately embarked on an obstacle course of almost ludicrous difficulty – new playbooks every year, head coaches and offensive coordinators of almost comic obstinacy, a porous offensive line, a separated shoulder, fans who chanted for former backup David Carr. Smith grew tougher but, surprisingly, never bitter.

Giving and getting

Smith wanted it to work out here and, to an extent, it did. He got the 49ers to an NFC Championship Game two seasons ago and should get a lot of credit for helping them reach a Super Bowl this past season. He won fans by wearing his San Francisco Giants cap to a news conference and was threatened with a fine by the NFL for doing so. (Is a Kansas City Royals cap in his future?) He owes a debt to Harbaugh for rehabilitating his career, for bolstering his confidence and for teaching him how to be an effective quarterback.

And Harbaugh, in turn, owes Smith a debt for his leadership and his grace. Smith took charge during the 2011 lockout, organizing team workouts despite being unsigned at the time. He didn’t sulk during the wooing of rival quarterback Peyton Manning before last season. And he was solid in supporting Kaepernick, which prevented the coach’s risky midseason quarterback switch from backfiring in the locker room.

Smith, denigrated by so many for years, never lashed out. And over the past four months, while more prominent athletes around the globe were embarrassing themselves in historic proportions, Smith provided an unusual thing in the world of sports.

He behaved like someone you could point to and tell your kid, “See that guy? That’s how a good teammate behaves.”